Darker Still
by Suibrom
Summary: Legion of Monsters meets Blade in a crossover fic where Blade is seeking the bloodstone and the legion must keep it from him. Featuring Blade, Elsa Bloodstone, Jack Russell, Morbius the Living Vampire, Manphibian, and K'antu the Living Mummy with some other Marvel characters appearances: She-hulk, Dr. Strange. Rated M for language and violence.
1. Hunters and Monsters

Blade rounded the corner of the alleyway with lightning speed, running with all the grace of a track star. He clasped the backpack tight to his back as it swayed forcefully up and down with the gravity of each step and took the chainlink fence in one jump landing hard on his feet on the other side. It was then he heard the growl. It was loud and close. Too close.

Jack Russel the werewolf hurled himself into the fence eliciting a loud rattle as Blade drew out his sword.

"Come and get me werewolf, I got a silver coated blade with your name on it!"

A voice boomed out from down the alley speaking in a very slight accent. "That would be highly unnecessary really."

Jack growled and stood back while Morbius and Manphibian walked forward from the shadows to stand beside him.

"Been looking for you vampire, ever since you gave me that nibble." He held fast to his sword with no sign of lowering it and smiled.

"Blade.. you come into our city and steal what's ours. To make it even worse you killed two men."

"Two _dogs._"

Morbius cleared his throat. "Two _men_!"

"They were werewolves like your friend here. As I said, _dogs_."

Jack growled and raised his chin but Morbius held his hand up in response signalling Jack to back down. Blade was obviously trying to goad him into an attack and no good would come of it. "Blade, what do you think you are doing?"

"Taking a relic you monsters don't need."

"It's cursed Blade. It will control you, that's why Frank Castle gave it up, it's why I gave it up. It turns you." Morbius sneered through his words.

A female voice rang out over the men echoing down the alley. "It doesn't matter leech, he doesn't have it. I do." Elsa Bloodstone stepped forward holding a backpack by the straps identical to the one Blade was carrying. He looked at it in confusion.

"Oh, you goddamn monsters! I'll kill you all!" Blade threw the pack to the ground in frustration.

Elsa spat out of the side of her mouth. "Hey, I resent that remark. Besides the stone is mine by blood. The monsters are just watching it for me." She moved forward and jumped the fence giving Blade a snide look. He stood still holding his sword as she swooped low and grabbed the pack retreating with both in hand.

"You LIED! I had the stone!"

"No honor among thieves babe." She smirked at him mockingly. He lurched forward in the alleyway and sliced down towards her with the sword but Jack lurched forward and intercepted it with his left arm. The blade sank into his flesh getting lodged firmly in the bone. Jack pulled the sword out of Blade's hands in his newfound pain and confusion while flailing his limb everywhere he could reach.

"Shit!" Morbius yelled and glided forward to check on Jack's arm. "It's in his radial artery. I have to pull it out or the silver will poison him!"

"And thissss isss why I normally sstay back at headquartersss." Manphibian crossed his arms and stared at them all in impatience.

"Shut up you fishass! I'm the one with a sword in my arm!"

"I could pull it out if you just stay still!" Morbius yanked on the sword but it was stuck stubbornly in the bone.

"Morbius you dolt that freaking hurts!"

"Next time don't leap in front of it!"

"He was trying to slice my girlfriend!"

Blade looked confusedly over at Elsa who had her hand pressed against her forehead rubbing the bridge of her nose. He moved slightly and she pulled her gun out to point it towards his head. "Nope. Don't even think about it. You're coming with us."

* * *

Elsa sat comfortably in the decrepit office chair while Morbius drilled the bone around the sword's edge with a tiny whirring tool. Jack was out cold on the hospital bed thanks to a heavy-handed amount of sedatives. The sword finally came loose and the whirring stopped while Morbius put away the tools for later sterilization. "There, he's good. I'll loose-stitch the skin together in a flash and he'll be healed in a few hours."

"Great, when does he wake up?"

"Probably while I'm stitching him if I'm unlucky." Morbius grabbed some surgical thread and a needle from his tray. "You two getting serious?"

"None of your business."

"I'm a friend." Morbius threaded the needle and bent over Jacks arm darting it in and out of his skin as fast as he could work.

"You're a shitty friend." She folded her arms and raised her eyebrows at him.

"What?!" Morbius lost his concentration and snipped the thread to start over. "I've known Jack for decades before he met you!"

"Yeah I know, experimented on him, attacked him when you don't feed, dragged him out to fight zombies.."

"That.. wasn't my fault."

"My ass, you got him infected with your stupid inoculation!"

Morbius put down the needle and glared at her. "I was trying to save lives! I cured the virus!"

"You're too damn inept to save anyone! Maybe in the 70's you had expertise but you've been out of the medical field for forty year Morbius! FORTY YEARS! Do you have any idea what's changed over the last forty years?!"

Morbius' voice turned from calm to a heavy growl. "Of course I do! I study, I keep up with the times!"

"You're a fucking fossil! A relic from the age of disco and bell-bottomed pants!"

"Will you both stop screaming at each other, Jesus you're giving me a headache.." Jack sat up and rubbed his head. He'd reverted to human form upon waking and needed clothes.

"Here." Morbius went to the corner and tossed him a pair of torn jean shorts which he caught in a midair clump.

"Much obliged. I'm sure you don't wanna see little Jack any more than necessary."

Morbius just nodded while Elsa went over to Jack and checked his arm over. He wiggled on the shorts and zipped them. She turned to Morbius angrily "Look! See his arm isn't even done!"

"It'll heal babe, I've had worse." Jack laughed.

Morbius leaned on a console on the side of the room. "I could have done better if someone wasn't disturbing my thought process."

"Oh, what is it vampire? Can't work under pressure? You need a blood martini and a backrub from your dead wife?"

"FUCK OFF!" Morbius snarled and bared his teeth at her. A creeping red glow came over his eyes.

Jack rushed him and held him back. "Whoa there! No no no! Elsa you go check on the prisoner. If you stay here he's gonna frenzy, he obviously hasn't fed enough!"

She tipped her head and heaved an overly dramatic sigh. "Fine. Come get me when you're done wrestling with Dr. Martyr Complex." She took her time strolling out, strutting and letting Jack have quite the view.

"Goddammit Mike, are you in there?!"

"Yes, sorry. I don't know what came over me. It's just.. Martine." Jack gave him a very angry look and let go of him. "Fuck Jack, what do you want me to say?"

"Say you'll make a damn effort to get along with her! Say you'll feed on actual human blood because this substitute isn't working for you."

"It'll work! It just need some changes.."

"Fucking idiot!"

"There are no humans in Monster Metropolis besides Elsa! I'm just trying to do the best I can Jack."

"Yeah bud, I know you are. We all are."

* * *

Blade sat examining the bars on the cell. They were solid steel probably twice as thick as the one's he'd seen in jail. God know what they held prisoner down here. Some sections of the wall appeared to have graffiti etched into them in.. _Japanese?_ "What the hell?"

"Oh, are you thinking of escaping? I need the exercise." Elsa walked in her heels clicking on the cement floor.

"Bitch. I'd heard talk of you, the great Elsa Bloodstone: monster hunter, and yet here you are sitting around having tea with a load of the freaks."

"They aren't all bad, and I owe the werewolf. He saved me from hell. Literal hell."

"I've got a bone to pick with the vampire. Blood for blood."

"Not my concern." She leaned against the bars on the opposite side of the room and slid down to sit on the floor.

"I'm curious, just what is your _concern_ here?"

"My _concern_, was that a bloke like you with the bloodstone could do a heap of damage to innocent people."

"So it's so much safer with the monster squad?" He made it sound like an accusation.

Yeah actually. They're pretty chill down here. Even the vampire barely holds a grudge."

"You haven't seen him hold a grudge don't mean he doesn't. You ask him about Dr. Paine and see how chill he gets." blade smirked. "He likes to play it cool that one but he's the one to watch. That ego will doom them all."

Jack came into the detention area padding softly on wolf's feet, he'd changed back. "Red, you having fun talking to the loser?

"You can suck my dick wolf-boy!"

"Wouldn't be but half a bite Blade!"

Elsa stood back up dusting the dirt off of her from the ground. "Bloody hell, does anyone in this place not turn into a screaming kindergartener every thirty seconds?"

Jack turned to her. "Yeah, my friend that you insulted in there. He's normally the calm logical one." He crossed his arms and shot her a look of annoyance.

"I was just holding a conversation with him."

"You were flinging insults at him.. and you brought up Martine. Never EVER bring up Martine! The man's a lot happier when he forgets."

She spat out of the side of her mouth onto the cement floor. "Not my job to keep him happy." Jack crossed his arms and cocked his head to the side. No way he was gonna let this one go. "Fine, I suppose you want me to apologize?"

"Would be nice of ya'."

She crossed the room while giving Jack an annoyed glance. "Let's go do this before I come to my senses."

The two crossed the city to Michael's lab door. The heavy steel door was closed and locked, Jack shrugged off any suspicions and knocked on it to no answer.

"Maybe he went somewhere else?"

"Nah, he fucking sleeps in there for chrissakes." He knocked again harder this time. "Hey Mike, open up!"

"You look nervous is everything okay?"

Jack motioned for Elsa to stand back while he wrenched the handle down, bending it and sending the screws shooting into the air. The handle lifted out of the door frame with little effort and Jack pushed it open to gaze inside. They were alone.

"Oh shit. This is bad." He let the handle drop out of his hands and kicked it into the empty room with a clang.

"What's so bad. Disco vampire went for a stroll?"

"Nah, nope he's not fed enough lately and he's dangerous. Been working on a stupid ass blood substitute! He'd never leave! We gotta find him!"

"I'm not a detective. Finding monsters and not killing them isn't in my job description."

"First off Mike ain't a monster, he's still human. He's about the most non-monster thing down here sides' you." Elsa rolled her eyes at him. "Second, we need him here."

"Pffff, what do you need him for."

"Well, he has the bloodstone. You left it in his lab and your backpack is gone."

"That sonofabitch! I will make him choke on a stake!"

"No you won't because I won't let you." Jack gave her a skeptical glance. "Oh hold on a minute!" Jack caught sight of K'antu rounding the corner. "Hey, mummy. You see Mike come through here?"

"YEs.. He saID thaT He had BuSInesS in New YORk. SomeOne to Go sEE. LefT aBOut FifteEN MINutes Ago." K'antu the Living Mummy enjoyed roaming the halls and playing patrol. He was always alert to situations just never quite bright enough to know when shit had met the fan.

"Shit. We gotta find him."

"Oh yeah? New York's a big place and there are several portals. We're gonna need help."

Jack thought for a moment. "Fine, follow me. I've got a plan."


	2. Escape and Heatwaves

"Ssso, who elected you the leader of thissss party?"

"I swear to GOD Manny I will hurt you." Jack snarled.

"GuYs No FIghtINg. It is NoT hELpinG."

Elsa marched along behind the group her gun held pointed towards the man in front of her.

"Lady, you can put that down. I'm trying to do the same thing you bunch of losers are."

"Don't care Blade, I'm not giving you an inch. You bend over, scratch your own ass? BLAM!"

"Wait.. quiet all of you!" The group went stiff and Blade pressed his ear down to the soggy sewer ground for a moment. "What the fuck is that noise?"

Up ahead a low rumble gradually built to a thudding sound.

"Oh, ThaT'S No ThREat."

"Speak up mummy, I'm not planning on dying with you group of idiots!" Blade scowled at him.

Around the corner turned a writhing mass of earth and swamp shambling on two oozing legs. It glanced at the group curiously from two red orbs but Jack waved it on it's path.

"See. ThAT's JusT The Man-ThiNG."

Jack turned to smile at Elsa. "Glad you didn't run into him when you first came down here huh?"

Elsa just stared at it shambling off in the distance. "I will borrow Blade's sword to shut you up. I swear to god."

Shortly down the corridor from the Man-Things path was the Central New York gate that led out into an unused subway terminal, easy access to the city's normal subway routes. Blade stopped and checked the marks around his feet. "No doubt he went through here. See those prints?"

Elsa rolled her eyes. "We are looking for Morbius. Those are fucking women's boot prints Blade! Check the heels."

Jack coughed a little. "He.. might be in civilian clothes. His costume was back in the lab. You know, the black and red cape?"

At this she raised an eyebrow. "In.. women's clothes? Wow, suddenly everything makes so much sense."

"Dammit Red, he's from the seventies. He wears heeled boots! Every guy back then did!"

From behind Jack Manny grinned and pointed to him mouthing the words "even him". Jack turned angrily but Manny just acted as though nothing had happened. Elsa suddenly found herself giggling at the thought of Jack at a disco.

"It was a different time! Grow up you losers!"

Blade stood back up and made a move for the gate but Elsa reacted fast firing a warning shot straight above his head into the moist wall. It sizzled in the mud. "Please do make a run for it. I need the target practice."

"I was just stretching." Blade sneered.

"My ass you were." Elsa tossed the look right back at him.

Jack stood off to the side and yelped as he reverted to human form. His body contorted and his fur disappeared, he motioned to Elsa and she tossed him some clothes.

"Alright Manny, K'antu. You guys hold down the fort for us. We'll be back."

"Hey, why do we get left behind?" Manphibian frowned in disapproval but K'antu just shrugged. He was used to it being the slowest member of the group.

"We'll be going through the subway and that means people. I can pass for human, you guys can't. Just stay here, if you don't hear from us in a day then you can come up with another plan." With that Jack stepped through the spinning orange vortex followed by Blade and Elsa.

Manphibian turned. "Well, we've got work to do. C'mon."

* * *

Michael Morbius grasped his leather trenchcoat tight around him as he exited the subway. Fortunate that the crowd was too busy to focus on one strange looking man among the throngs of people. Then again perhaps they thought him a burn victim. He tightened his grip on the backpack and climbed the stairs to face the suddenly bright three o'clock sunshine. Oh. Of course. Sunlight. He'd been underground so long he'd forgotten about the sun and it's ability to weaken him. He huffed and walked upwards into the midday sunshine.

Bright, way too bright for starters. Secondly he had been prepared for daytime but not a heatwave. He started to notice that the surrounding people going about their business were mostly in shorts and short-sleeved shirts some eyeing him suspiciously. That's not helping. He turned and instead of continuing his path he cut down an alley. _Oh thank god for shade!_ The alleyway was immaculately clean, being stationed in a nice part of downtown. Normally he could simply crawl under some siding or a dumpster and sleep until dark but no such luck. No where to go from here besides some doors to local businesses.

He tried the handle to the first door quietly but it was locked tight, same with the next. _Goddamn it. This is getting to be a rough trip._ He uttered a silent prayer before trying the handle to the third door which successfully turned under the pressure. Inside was dark, cool, and stacked with boxes of produce, he promptly shut the door behind him relishing the dark.

It was only a moment though before he heard a flurry of footsteps approach and go past the opening to the room he was in. A young man of twenty scurried out of view wearing a waiter's apron. Ahh, a restaurant. Of course, I do hope it's not too crowded, I can simply slip by without notice perhaps. He followed the man at a safe distance and when he exited the silver swinging door to the dining area Morbius followed. A few people say about in very postmodern looking chairs eating what Michael only guessed was highly trendy and overpriced food, but at least they all seemed distracted. He set off for the side door at a brisk pace.

"Michael? Michael is that you?!"

It was a woman's voice. He stopped cold. _Oh please don't be calling me, please not me. It's such a common name.._ but when he turned there sat Jennifer Walters at a table staring at him. "Jen?!"

"What are you doing here?! Quickly sit down!" She kicked the chair out on the opposite side of her table and motioned towards it with her hands. He sat obediently.

"Hello Jen.."

"What are you doing in downtown Manhattan!? Are you mad?"

"It's a bit of a story."

She folded her arms and stared. "I'm listening."

He glanced down at his feet. Jennifer was a good friend from far back when his vampirism had gone into remission. She was such a good friend that she had put her career on the line as a defense attorney helping him dodge the death penalty for his crimes. He was eternally grateful, so grateful in fact that he wanted to in no way involve her in his affairs. It would only bring her trouble. "Jen I.. I don't want you involved."

"Is this about Spider-man?"

"What?! No!" She shot him a skeptical look and he snorted. "I swear I'm reformed this time. I've been staying with the Legion of Monsters in a secret locale."

"Then why are you skulking through a sushi bar in downtown Manhattan in a trenchcoat during a heatwave?"

He started to try to explain but looking up at her in her tank top and tight skirt he lost the words and instead muttered out a "You're looking well." He flinched internally knowing that he'd fucked up.

She stared him down.

"Dear god Jen, I'm sorry okay. There's a relic, the bloodstone, that we've been guarding but it's too powerful. We have to get rid of it. So.. I'm searching for a friend."

"What _friend?_"

"I'd rather not say. The fewer people know about this the better."

She sighed. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

He blushed. "Jen.. I couldn't. I'm still wanted, what if one of the other Avengers found you with me?"

"I'm on my own right now, I've been building up my private practice. No more crime fighting."

"Now it's my turn to be the skeptic." He smirked.

"Michael.."

"Okay, okay. I could use somewhere to hide until nighttime. This sun is killing me." He smiled a tired and nervous grin at her. She could tell he was sick, his eyes drooped on his face and he held his arms limp.

"Michael have you fed?"

His eyes enlarged and he sat up straight. "I.. umm.." She gave him an angry glare as he struggled for an answer. "I've been working on a substitute.."

"Michael you idiot! C'mon!" She pulled his hand up and yanked him out of the restaurant.

"What about your lunch?!"

"We'll order Chinese from the office. Just follow me."

* * *

Blade crouched on the ground with a small device fiddling with it's dial while Jack leaned against the alley wall. Elsa stripped off her coat in a vague attempt to deal with the heat.

"It is way too damn hot out here. I got five euros that the vampire is dead."

Jack laughed. "I don't even know how many bucks that is, but he's human. The result of an experiment gone awry. He ain't gonna burn in the sun." Jack wiped the sweat from his brow. "Though I'm almost willing to think this might be an exception."

Blade stood and snarled at Jack. "He's not human anymore! He's a bloodsucker!"

Jack muttered under his breath "He's more human than you are."

Elsa cocked her gun and folded her coat up around it, effectively disguising it. "Enough Blade, which way did he go?"

Blade walked up to the third door in the alley and touched the handle looking at it closely. "This one." He threw open the door and they all stepped into the cool dark interior.

"Uhhh, You sure about this? I don't think the vampire has converted to vegetarianism." Elsa held up a carrot from a nearby box and let it drop back down.

Not but five seconds later a waiter came by and began screaming at them in his native Japanese. All three of them proceeded to the exit while looking around the place as throuroghly as possible. The other customers thought the group insane. Outside the front door the three stood flustered.

"Well, that was fun. Shall we leave before that fucker calls the cops?" Jack smirked.

"I don't get it, where could he have gone?"

Blade checked his device. "He left with someone else, probably not but ten minutes ago. Goddamn this stupid city messes with my equipment. Dunno whether it's infested with vampires or my scanners are picking up all the fucking lawyers."


	3. Lawyers and Bloodsucking

Jennifer Walters walked through her office one more time checking on the man curled up asleep on her waiting bench. He'd lasted barely five minutes in the door before he passed out there, didn't even bother taking off the trenchcoat. She sighed as the door opened behind her.

"Hey, Shulkie. Got what you asked for. This one was s huge pain in the ass, I had to call in some favors and whoah.. who's that?" Patsy Walker stepped over to stand beside Jen.

"He's an old client of mine."

"Is he dead?" Patsy resisted the urge to poke him with a stick.

"I know what you're thinking and no, don't you dare. He's just tired and he needs this." With that Jen relieved Patsy of the folded brown paper bag she was holding. It was heavier than it looked. "You paid attention to my directions right?"

"Yeah.. freshly donated, no anticoagulants. I got two pints."

"That'll do." Jen walked over to her desk and pulled an empty coffee mug from the desk drawer. She lifted one bag of blood out of the sack and tore the tube on it open draining it into the cup.

Patsy looked sick. "Oh god, he's not gonna drink that is he?"

"You might wanna look away.." Jen bent down and held the cup under Morb's nose. He caught the scent and woke with a start grabbing the mug with both hands and greedily slurping down the contents. Patsy chose to instead stare at the poster by the door.

Morbius finished and gasped for air while raising the mug upwards, Jen took out the second bag and refilled the cup. "Feeling better?"

"Much. Thank you." He lowered the mug and drank it slower this time, trying to appear more human.

"Don't mention it."

He finished the second mug and gasped out "Is that all you have?" Jen nodded and he licked the rim clean. Patsy tried not to gag.

"Michael this is Patsy Walker, my friend and investigator. Patsy this is Michael Morbius."

He licked the blood from his lips and sat the mug down to reach out and shake her hand. Patsy obliged reluctantly. "Patsy Walker?.. You know I think I know your ex-husband."

"Why am I not surprised..."

"Okay Michael." Jen sat at her desk edge, eyeing him over. "What's going down?"

"I already told you..."

"You told me squat. Give it to me straight."

He sighed. "I'm looking for Stephen to help me destroy the bloodstone. It's too powerful."

"Stephen Strange?"

"That would be him."

Jen sat evaluating him for a moment. "You know, just when I think I have you pegged as rash you actually come up with a decent idea. Stephen guards a lot of powerful artifacts, his are certainly safe hands. I gotta ask what triggered this though? How long have the Legion of Monsters been guarding it?"

"We got it about a year back but recently Blade came seeking it out. I can't let him get it Jen, it feeds off of a need for revenge. In Blade's hands it would be very bad. We already had to risk our lives getting it back from the Punisher."

Jen tapped her desk with a pen. "Okay, we're on it."

"On what? This isn't some public petition or custody battle Jen, this is for me to handle and me alone."

"I owe you one."

Morbius glanced at her with a furrowed brow. "Jen that was decades ago. Plus, you defended me, you don't owe me a damn thing."

"Fine, you can pay me then."

Morbius snorted in laughter. "The FBI has seized my patents and my bank account. I have no funds."

"You'll owe me."

He stood and uttered a resounding "No."

Patsy quickly moved out of his way as he made for the door. There was no way she was getting in the middle of this one.

Morbius turned, "I don't need your help. i'm not a pity case. I can handle this!"

The door burst open with a deafening crash as Blade kicked it down. Two gas grenades rolled in spewing ammonia gas and flashing with UV light strobes. Morbius buckled over onto his knees on the floor gasping for air and Jen bolted over turning green and growing a foot in height. She pushed Morbius behind her with Patsy.

"Blade what exactly do you think you're doing destroying my office?"

He sneered, "This isn't about you. I'm here for the vampire!"

Patsy helped Morb up to his feet and let him lean against Jen's desk. He was looking about a million times worse than when she had seen him sleeping on the couch. She tried to shield him from the light and whisper "Michael are you okay?"

"No.. the gas. Ammonia and silver nitrates, also bacteria that attack my physiology.. he developed it years ago the first time he tried to kill me.." Morbius coughed and tried to hold down the blood he'd drunk. The nausea was overpowering.

Blade pulled out his sword as Patsy picked up Jen's crystal paperweight and threw it through the window shattering the glass. Jen didn't even blink. "Blade, get. out. I don't want to have to hurt you but I will if you don't leave my client alone. You're already going to owe me for one hell of a repair bill, not to mention steam cleaning the carpets."

Morbius stumbled to the window taking a large desperate gulp of fresh air. He seemed a tad better instantly but worry crossed his face. "Wait.. where are my Jack and Elsa?! What did you do to them?"

"They're fine! Lost but fine. My beef is with you!"

Morbius stepped up on the broken window crunching the glass against the pad of his foot. He lifted the other leg onto the windowsill and tossed off his coat onto the floor. "Jen I'm sorry!"

Jennifer yelled. "Morbius don't you DARE!" But before she could even get the last word out he jumped.

* * *

"I am going to kill him!" Jack scratched at the ground trying to get the scent again. He could only get a hint in human form but the hint got them halfways across Manhattan.

"You can't kill him because I'm going to kill the bastard first! You're going to have to settle for kicking his corpse after I'm done." Elsa gently scratched Jack on the back and turned to spit on the sidewalk a few feet away. "So what now lycan?"

"Mike doesn't have many friends and it's getting dark. If he's been hiding somewhere he'll be coming out soon and if he's alone when Blade catches him it could be bad."

"The emo vampire doesn't have many friends? Well, color me surprised."

"It ain't funny Red. Blade's dangerous."

"Forgive me if I'm not worried about your thieving bloodsucker."

"You should be worried about all of us!" He growled. "Morb heals our sick and injured, without him monsters are going to leave the city and go back to the old ways. You know Chinese folk medicine? Things like bear bile and tiger bone pale in comparison to what some of those idiot monster think will help cure their damn colds. You keep insulting him but he's saving lives, not just monster lives."

"Why are you always defending him? He's put your life on the line a lot."

"He's also saved my life a lot. Once from myself even." Jack stood back up on his feet and looked sadly at Elsa. "I wasn't always so comfortable with what I am, it takes a friend to cut the ropes from your neck and not tell anyone." Elsa just stared speechless in return. There was no witty comeback for that. "Look, we gotta go west I think. He might head that way."

A rumble sounded in the distance causing small bits of dirt and cement to fall off the alley wall onto the pair, car alarms sounded and howled nearby.

"Earthquake?"

"Unlikely."

"Then you were right. West it is! Let's go Jack!" She ran leaving Jack Russell to catch up.

* * *

Blade held tight to his sword and considered running. Hulks weren't to be messed with. Aside from the fact they're heroes they're mean, they're among the strongest beings you can encounter, and this one in particular was _smart._ You wouldn't think that being smart was such a big deal until you realize that the big green guy's only weakness is his stupidity. Nope, She-Hulk was different and Blade didn't like staring her down. There's a thin line between bravery and stupidity and Blade was tripping over it.

Jennifer Walters stood out on the now cracked street in front of her office building. Several of the other residents crowded around behind her watching the situation out of fear for their offices being in danger. Patsy had fled out the window on Jen's orders to follow Morbius, god knows how far they are by now. "Blade, you move and I'm taking you out."

"I'm registered with SHIELD."

"I'm a damn AVENGER! You think they won't side with me?"

"Shit!" Blade wasn't the kind of man to admit defeat but he pointedly took his sword and sheathed it slowly in front of her.

Only a block away Morbius kicked his feet against the brick facade of a five story building trying to get enough of a hold to hoist himself over the side and climb onto the roof. He failed and sharply hung by his hands hitting the brick with his chest and face, it scraped his skin and he groaned as a small trickle of blood trailed down his forehead.

"Hold on!" Patsy grasped his left wrist from above and pulled him up. He crawled the rest of the way and sat on his folded legs trying to catch his breath.

"Thank god you followed me.."

"Yeah, next time remind me that you can fly. That kind of caught me by surprise."

"Expected me to be dead under that window?" He smirked between breaths.

"Yeah actually. Jen said you weren't the most mentally stable guy. Are you okay?"

"No, not really. That gas takes a toll, that blood was the first I'd had in a week, overall not good."

"Let's get you back then. Jen will kill me if anything happens to you."

"I can't.. I'm providing cover.." He coughed and smiled.

"Wait." She crouched down to sit in front of him and took the backpack from under his arm. The clasp gave easy, inside was a glass vial with a rock. Not a shiny red powerful gem, just a rock. "I don't understand. Why? What are you doing?"

"I have friends, they're taking the gem to Stephen, but I knew Blade would escape and he's a vengeance driven man. This way Blade comes after me, the stone is safe, and my friends and the innocent residents of monsteropolis are safe. He comes to stop me and I've thwarted him before so he forgets all about Monsteropolis."

"What?! What about Jack and Elsa? You said they don't know?!"

"I couldn't tell them. Elsa would rather take the stone back than destroy it, Jack is my friend but he's an idiot for women. He'd tell her the plan. Plus I figured they'd use Blade to find me."

"Yeah, I thought it was odd that you asked about them exclusively back in the office like you knew they were with him. So what's the plan now?"

"I run and wait for word from K'antu."

"And if Blade catches you?"

"I've handled him before I can handle him now." He struggled to stand shaking visibly until she offered him a hand. He took it gratefully.

"Yeah, sure you can. You can barely stand up."

"I'll be fine. Go back to Jen. Tell her that I'm sorry about all this." With that he smiled and made a running start for the other side of the roof, taking a flying leap off of it and gliding away.

She watched him go. "Goddamn... that idiot is going to get himself killed."


	4. Turnabout and Slayers

Stephen Strange knew about the mummy's approach before he had reached eyeshot of the mansion. Part of the advantage of supernatural detection charms. He could tell who it was, their intent, and whether or not they were a danger. Very fortunate for him that K'antu was an old acquaintance. He was also expected, but he wasn't travelling alone. .

"My good friends. What brings you here today?"

Manphibian tossed the bag softly to Stephen. "You know darn well what bringssss uss, Morbiusss ssendsss hisss regardsss."

K'antu simply hobbled behind him and smiled. Not a real smile in the sense of the word but through the rotten flesh and bandages he tried to exude an air of kindness and smiling and hope it was perceptible.

Stephen caught the bag and unzipped it, taking a long close look at the glass vial containing the stone. "Ah, this is it. I can take care of this, it will not influence anyone ever again. Should Morbius ever have need of it.."

Manphibian interrupted. "He won't. He wanted it destroyed. Blade is after it."

"Blade? That is alarming. He was once a hero who worked with us, why has he turned against Morbius like this?"

"He'S alWAys BeeN aGAinST MorBiUs. He juST ManaGEd to Put It ASidE FoR a WHilE."

Manphibian bit his lip and awkwardly mumbled out "You know Morb bit him a while back right? After that whole_ Hydra_ thing?"

Stephen sighed and put the vial in his left outstretched palm, chanting an incantation over it in latin. The vial glowed and spun, finally disappearing in a flash of yellow light. "Where is he? Let's go."

* * *

Morbius lost altitude alarmingly fast, falling to the cement about three blocks away. He rolled three times his feet flying over his head before he lost velocity and finally stopped. He lurched forward and fell back flat on the ground now staring up at a streetlight. "Ow.."

Several kids stood by the other end of the street. Teens from the nearby college out looking for a good time. One obviously thought about helping him and stepped forward to come closer but the others stopped him. "No man, that's a villain! Look at him! You don't get in the middle of a caped altercation in this town, you'll die!" They ducked back behind an alley still close enough to watch but far enough to take cover.

_Well, always the villain eh, Michael? No matter how hard you try you'll never be a hero. At best you'll be mild entertainment for a bunch of drunk teens.. _He cursed out loud at his own thoughts and tried to get up using the street lamp for leverage. It was rough but he managed to stand on his feet and balance. _That's it, screw this. I'm not dying like this. _He stripped off his boots and tossed them to the street, followed by his V-neck shirt and pants. He'd already lost the trenchcoat in Jen's office so he was now left in what he had worn underneath, it was his old hero costume, the open-necked navy and red number with the belt and the tall collar. Jack had no idea but he'd always been so fond of it that he had several made and kept them safe even during the nineties when he switched to leather. Even now living in Monsteropolis he had several in his closet. He had a slight shudder for a moment at remembering the nineties costume. Grieving does weird things to a man.

"You cold? I see you shaking." Blade stepped silently down the street towards him. The teens in the alley issued hoots and calls amongst themselves, they now had their show.

Morbius did his best to stay standing. He extended and crooked his claws, bared his teeth, and hissed. _Appear tough, go down fighting. _A slight tremor shook through his arm. _Damn it! there was no way Blade didn't see that!_

"Having trouble bloodsucker? Need more gas?" He was now maybe fifteen yards away.

_Oh god please no.. Anything but that. Let me die on my feet. _"Why? Are you afraid of facing me like a man?" He did what felt like a farcical imitation of his old snarl.

Blade reached to his side and drew out a wooden knife.

"You may as well use the silver. Wooden stakes don't work on me." It was a flat out lie. They worked about as well as any weapon would, which would be pretty damn effective right now. At least on his feet his head was starting to feel clearer. _If I'm lucky I'll frenzy and he'll kill me while I'm in that state.. _

"Blade stop!"

Morbius turned his head towards the woman's voice expecting to see Jen, Elsa instead met his eyes with her gun drawn. "Oh great, if you want to kill me the line starts behind him."

"Shut up vampire, can't you even tell when someone is saving your pasty ass?!"

"What?" Morbius hesitated and Blade took the distraction for everything he could. The next minute was a blur as pain erupted from his side and he heard Elsa shouting. Somewhere nearby.. he couldn't be sure. Maybe it was another woman's scream.. and there was a blinding flash of purple light. He tried to place its familiarity but the pain was too much. He crumpled in a ball on the ground clutching his side, blood rushing over his fingers. Then all was black.

* * *

"Fuck Blade! I should kill you and throw you in the Hudson river I swear to god! Look at him!" Elsa cocked her gun to get the message through but Blade didn't care. He got what he came for. One good slash with a wooden knife had caused a wide and ragged wound. It wasn't closing.

Jack leaned over Michael in his wolf form prepared for Michael's frenzy state but the vampire just sagged on the ground. He braved a check on the man's pulse, it was weak. "Mike! Mike?! He's not getting up.. why is he not getting up?! What the fuck did you do?!" Jack finished the question with a snarl that finally sent the curious teens in the alley running for cover.

Stephen rushed over with Jennifer Walters and pushed Jack away. Strange had the privilege of arriving through a portal with the other two monsters just in time to see Michael collapse, Jen had been following Blade who had made a break for it and had seen the strike but not been fast enough to stop it. Jack was relieved to see them at least and gave them some room. Stephen used to be a surgeon, he fell back on his old expertise now without thought. Helping those injured was almost second nature to him despite that it had been decades since he'd practiced medicine. "He's not healing.. without the healing factor he won't frenzy. Something is inhibiting it, his body doesn't know that anything is wrong.. I think the pain knocked him out, it's like he's gone into shock."

Jen sat on the ground and helped Stephen pull Michael's arms out from his sides so he could examine the wound. The gravel dug into her knees and she rested his head gently in her lap. His eyes were closed, mouth open, and he was pale even for him. "Michael.. Michael snap out of it." But he was out. "Wait, Stephen, Patsy told me Michael said that the gas was formulated to attack him specifically. I think it's stopping him from healing."

"In that case there's not much I can do. Let me try a few spells."

Jen looked down sadly. _Wait.. maybe._

K'antu and manphibian stayed back. This was a deadly situation already. To try and approach was to try to make it worse, though manphibian doubted that was possible.

Blade pulled his sword again taking a stand against one pissed off and angry werewolf now encroaching. "I wouldn't try it dog. Almost lost your arm last time and now you don't have your healer." But Jack was beyond hearing and took an opportune slash at the man. He barely had time to dodge it.

Elsa now found her main concern to be stopping the two from fighting and killing each other. The last thing she needed was another disaster tonight. For a moment she thought back to what Jack had said about the monsters of the city. _If they lose their healer.. fuck. Nope, no time for that shit. No more death tonight._ "Back off Jack. We'll get our revenge but now is not the time. We have to see if we can heal Morbius."

Blade just laughed. "Fuck. You aren't healing him. I've had that gas formulated perfectly. His cells can't heal, he can't get up. In a bit he'll bleed out on the pavement. See I took pity on him. Most vampires get a painful death. I let him sleep through this."

Elsa holstered her gun and lined up a punch square to his jaw. It hurt like someone had thrown a brick to his head. "You fucking idiot! You know how many people will die without him! You know how many people he saved!"

Whatever reaction she was hoping to trigger wasn't there. Blade just smiled. "The only good bloodsucker is a dead bloodsucker."

"Yeah well he isn't dead yet!" Jen's voice rang out loud and powerful from her She-hulk form. She sat crouched on the ground massive and green with an arm wrapped around Michael's head. Two clawed hands grasped firm onto her wrist pinning it in place. He was drinking.

Jack grabbed Elsa and pulled her back while she struggled to comprehend the scene. "Ow hey! Let go of me! What are you doing?! Where are we going? Michael's fine right?"

Jack snarled. "NO He's not fine! The guy's never had hulk blood before! I have no idea what this will do to him. We get back fast okay?!" He pulled her into an alley and stuck his nose around the corner to keep watch.

Jen stood and removed her wrist from his face. He growled and thrashed biting for it again but she simply held him back with one hand and whispered "Michael" to him softly. Somewhere the word resonated. His now glowing eyes softened and he stilled his attacks. She could tell he still wasn't quite all there, but her words were enough to make him pause. His eyes glowed and blood dripped from his mouth. He slowly turned towards Blade.

Blade twisted his head to watch Jack and Elsa seek cover. When he looked back Stephen had taken vantage on a rooftop, K'antu and manphibian with him. She-hulk stepped backwards while the vampire focused its inhuman eyes on him. Blade was alone on the ground with Morbius.

"Wait.. you can't leave me here with him?! Aren't you an Avenger?!" Blade screamed at her.

"Not anymore. You wanted a fair fight. You've got one." Jen nodded and Morbius smiled baring a full set of razor sharp teeth. "Have fun Blade."


	5. Heroes and Villains

Blade froze. Morb was in predator mode and running would be far worse for him than standing his ground. Vampires were kind of like dogs in that regard. If you ran it meant you were weak, if you were weak it meant you were prey. So he stood and engaged the vampire in what appeared to be a staring contest while he drew his knives. Morbius didn't move, he wasn't even poised for attack, just standing with his head cocked to the side and his arms loose. He looked amused more than anything. Like it was a game and only he knew the rules.

Jen sat down on the cement. Hulk or no hulk, losing blood takes it out of you. Fortunately for her the increased healing factor was already mending her tissue back together, though the skin would be bright and glossy for a day or so. Even new hulk skin was tough as nails, it was amazing to her that he even had been able to pierce it with his teeth. _Life is just full of surprises today._ Still she kept watch while sitting. The goal of this was to teach Blade a lesson, not kill him, should it get really dangerous really quick she knew she would be the one to have to control her old friend. _Though maybe Strange could use a freezing spell or something.._

Morbius straightened his head and crooked his arms baring his teeth. It was an attack pose, plain and simple. Blade recognized it in an instant and held his knives out in front of him crossed. He wasn't an idiot, he knew a cross would have zero effect on Morbius but by making a cross he was creating as much cover as he could. He took one step backward and that's when the charge came.

Much to nearly everyone's surprise (except Jack, who could sense that something was going to go very wrong) Morbius moved faster than anyone could visually detect. One second he was standing some thirty feet away and the next he was within striking distance. Blade lunged with a knife digging Morb's chest but the vampire didn't even react and in the next second it was healed over. Blade took a hard strike to his left from Morbius' claws. They raked through the leather on his vest shredding it open. Traces of blood leaked through, red against all the black. If it was at all possible that seemed to make Morbius more feral. His teeth while normally human but fanged were all razor thin points, and his eyes glowed like spotlights in the dark. Jack had seen him like this once while fighting Spider-man. There was no part of his friend left in the vampire's mind until he either fed enough, or someone could knock it out of him, and good luck with the latter. Morbius shot both fists forward throwing Blade back with all the force of a semi. His shoulder impacted a streetlamp and he could feel the bone fracture. He would have had time to worry about it if Morbius hadn't already been bent over him, teeth shredding through the flesh on his chest.

Jennifer cussed, realizing her mistake far too late and ran for the two. Strange it seemed had the same thoughts, he yelled from the rooftops casting a fog around the pair. It was impossible to see through. Jen had no idea what use that would be until she arrived within a few yards of the now frozen in place combatants. _Freezing spell, I was right._ They looked like two strangely dressed Roman gladiators in carved marble, locked in a fight for all of eternity. Morbius had his face buried at Blade's side and Jen could see tears through the skin deep enough to go to the bone. _This is bad. _

Jack and Elsa came out from their cover and walked up to the encroaching group. Jack was the first to speak. "You're gonna have to release them sometime. Can't leave them like this."

Jennifer turned worriedly to the werewolf. "What do we do though? Blade may be hurt."

"Yeah, he is. Badly too." He made a back and forth motion with his very furry fingers as though he was playing the world's smallest violin.

Stephen interrupted. "I can try something to bring back Michael to his senses."

Jack waved his clawed arms. "Nope! Don't you dare. You know as well as I do that magic and Morbius don't mix well. You'd risk fucking him up way too much, no offense."

Stephen just stood back looking highly offended when Elsa stepped forward. "No. What we do is this. She-hulk you grab Morb. You're strong enough to handle him. You Stephen, undo the spell. We pull Blade away once everyone's moving again. Jen if you punch Morbius enough he'll stop frenzying and snap back to normal. Then we get Blade to a damn hospital and leave him there with the threat that if I ever see him again I'll kill him."

Jen freaked out. "What?! I can't hurt him!"

Jack growled. "Yes you can. It's for his own good! Just knock the idiot out or crush him, trust me, he'll be fine. Especially after that super-powered blood you gave him." Jen nodded reluctantly and Jack prayed she'd listen. "Okay, Stephen. On the count of three okay?"

"One." Jen wrapped her arms tight around Morb's chest. He was cold and hard as rock.

"Two." Jack grabbed the shoulders on Blade's vest. He'd pull him by the fabric if he could. Pretty sure Morb broke his shoulder.

"Three!" Stephen dismissed the spell and the two jerked to life. Jen fell backwards from the sudden twist of the spine that Morbius tried to use to escape but she managed to hold on. He then tried every trick in the book, clawing, scratching, growling at her until she just screamed. "Michael stop!" And he did. Like a scolded child he went limp and Jen thought she heard a squeak. Despite his newfound docileness he was still obviously feral. She muttered an apology and lined up her fist to his jaw, giving him what she hoped was a somewhat painful but not too dangerous uppercut. If you were a hulk you'd know that this is no easy task. His head went slack and his eyes dark. "Shit!" She cussed and checked his pulse but he was okay, just unconscious. It only took a second before he blinked his eyes awake.

"Jennifer..? What happened.. Are you hugging me?!" He held up his arms to show that he wasn't trying anything ungentlemanly and she released him. The two shared an awkward stare while mere feet away Blade cursed.

"Fucking vampire, I'm going to bleed to death!"

"You are not, you just need some patching. We'll get you to a doctor." Elsa rolled her eyes and spat on the ground.

The look of determination spread across Michael's face like a wave. "I'm a doctor!"

Blade looked disgusted. "No. No fucking way."

Michael just chanted a "Yes way. I took an oath." And rushed to his side. It was lucky that Blade didn't have enough strength left to fend him off. He examined the deep gashes on the man's side with little fear of retaliation and patched it with wads of his torn shirt to slow the bleeding. "I did this? How is that possible, these look far from my bite radius."

"Mike ya' went all freaky after you had her blood."

"Wait.. whose blood?"

Jen stood clasping her arms together in front of her nervously then held up one of her wrists and showed him the newly healed skin. "Me."

"WHAT!?" He turned bright pink, the flush of his skin bringing warmth to his cheeks. "No, the last thing I remember I was weak and then pain.. I passed out! Tell me I didn't attack you Jen..." He forgot Blade entirely and paced an invisible line on the street while toying with his costume. The chest portion under his right arm was shredded, new white skin showed underneath. Whatever wounds Blade had done were long gone, he touched the skin and remembered the pain.

"You didn't attack me perse'... You were dying, Michael. I did what I had to."

He looked at her with enlarged and pleading eyes as she talked. "Then let me die next time!"

A _FWOOSH_ sounded out amidst the now full blown commotion, undetected by most except Morbius and Jack who had much better than human hearing. "Oh god no." Morbius shuddered.

Spiderman stepped out of the shadows surveying the scene. "What the hell happened here? This some kind of convention? Why wasn't I invited?" He focused his gaze on Blade who had now tired of laying still and against Stephen's advice was now trying to stand, cursing with every move. "Woah. Nevermind I don't wanna be a guest at this convention! Shulkie what the hell is going one here?!"

"Well Blade was seeking something from the Legion of Monsters that was quite dangerous.."

Stephen broke into the conversation. "And that item has been handled. It was delivered to me for disposal." Blade glared at Stephen as though it were a gross betrayal of trust.

"Yes well, Blade might have attacked Morbius and nearly killed him.."

"Wait.." Inside his suit Peter Parker twitched. Out of all the villains that tormented him he had a particularly short amount of patience for Morbius. Vampires quite frankly creeped him the fuck out. "Morbius is here?"

Jen squinted her eyes. "Yes of course he's right.." She turned but the vampire had seemingly disappeared. "Dammit Michael! Where did you go?!"

"He'sssss not that ssstupid. He'sss gone. Hiding mossst likely." Manphibian and K'antu took position next to Jack and Elsa, obviously ready to defend themselves if necessary.

"Look guys, I have no fight with the Legion but Morbius is a wanted criminal. If I ever catch him out here amongst the living I'm putting him out on the Raft."

Jack snarled. "He didn't do nothing wrong! Blade's the one who attacked him and you just ignore that right because _who cares if he does evil and immoral things? He's a vampire hunter right?! Oooh, big fucking hero! _You're all fucking in on it, if any member does something bad you all cover for him!"

Spider-man backed away at Jack's approach and as the situation became more charged and it looked like Jack might attack him K'antu reached out and grasped his arm. "No, WE NeED to Go. ThIS IsN't Our FiGht." The werewolf snorted but the mummy was right. _What the hell would this solve? Nothing that's what. _

Stephen Strange didn't wait for an invitation. He called open a portal to Monsteropolis in the middle of the street, a large glowing oval of yellow-lime color. "Here. Blade will be fine. You all should go."

Manphibian cussed and glared but walked straight in. K'antu followed while giving a pointed glare towards Spider-man with one rotten eye.

Jack was last and called for Elsa but she stayed. "No. I'll be along after a bit. I need to be around humans for a while." Elsa stormed off down the street taking some time to cool down.

He looked hurt but shrugged it off and stepped through the portal. Stephen closed it after him. The street stood shrouded in silence until he spoke. "Blade will you be okay?"

"Oh, I'm just fucking dandy."

"Good. Perhaps next time when you consider your actions you will remember the wounds and make wiser decisions."

"Get bent _Doctor_!"

"Or perhaps not." Stephen flashed and disappeared in a wave of pink smoke.

Jennifer started the walk back to her office clenching her hands into fists. "Blade! You expect that bill for the damage to my office!"

Peter looked astounded. "Well, I guess you're popular right now.. need a lift to the hospital."

"Fuck you wallcrawler. I'm fine." He stormed off clutching his side.

Spider-man all alone now kicked the ground. "I stand corrected.. I guess I'm the popular one."


End file.
